Buddy Icons

Jazz Icons: Buddy Rich DVD
$22.31
Jazz Icon's: Buddy Rich highlights the relentless power and unparalleled artistry of the man who was known as "The World's Greatest Drummer." This 75-minute concert, taped in Holland in 1978, showcases one of the tightest big bands in history, featuring acclaimed saxophonist Steve Marcus and other members of Buddy's "Killer Force," the group he would later call, "the best band I ever had." Standout performances include "Grand Concourse," Big Swing Face," and "Channel One Suite," which climaxes in Buddy's signature drum solo.

Not Fade Away: The Life and Music of Buddy Holly
$21.28
I think this book does a fair job of serving its purpose, which is to describe the various recording sessions and methods used to record his music over the years. I think it's necessary to add a little biography to either end for a little perspective, and certainly to gain some perspective on Norman Petty's role in the major recording sessions. Whatever his role in Buddy's money situation, it appears he contributed a lot to the recording techniques that were used in the studio and to what Buddy learned about recording techniques along the way. The most interesting thing that I learned from this book were the back story and the techniques used to record "Peggy Sue." The back story itself will, of course, appear in any biography, but the recording techniques were absolutely fascinating.

What did NOT impress me about this book was how the author took conjecture about some of the people in the book and turned it into "fact." As noted by another reviewer, the author did use the Ellis Amburn book as a source, which most know as a bad source of information. However, the author here did acknowledge the Amburn book as a poor source of information, being full of errors as it is. I think he recognizes the necessity of pulling information from more than one source, particularly if the source is known to be unreliable. It would have been better if he had acknowledged all dubious information in this manner, however.

And, by the way, I lived in Lubbock for many years, too. The whole West Texas area has an amazing amount of musical talent, the most famous and successful of which have plaques at the base of Buddy's statue in Lubbock: Waylon Jennings and Roy Orbison, for example (of course). Almost no one not from Lubbock really "gets it." Even Philip Norman didn't get it right when he said Meadow was north of Lubbock in his biography of Buddy. I guess he had the map upside down. To outsiders, Lubbock is flat, treeless, smelly, and boring. The rest of us know better. We planted all the trees, the smell means money (and you don't even notice it after a while anyway), flat means you can see the sunsets and sunrises better, and boring? Absolutely not. That's how we got Buddy Holly. In the fall, everything turns red and black. And for a while, we even had Bobby Knight shooting people in the foot and throwing salads in the grocery store. How could that possibly be boring? And just in case we produce another Buddy...or Waylon, or Richie McDonald or god-forbid another Natalie Maines (just kidding - she's very talented), there's a very active Depot District with plenty of live music venues. (I won't go so far as to say Buddy ever fronted for Elvis, but a friend insists Buddy's brother had to front them some money to get into a movie when Elvis was in town once, though. He says that came straight from the mouth of Buddy's brother himself. Between us, we've met a few of the Holleys a time or two.)

And just when you thought she picked up her ball and went home, it looks like Maria Elena is giving Lubbock a "gift" by returning the Buddy Holly Festival to Lubbock sometime in the near future. Any negative feelings for her aside, Buddy deserves the recognition and new talent deserves the opportunity to find a spotlight. Lets hope it all works out this time.

Buddy Holly "Not Fade Away" framed gold record
$239.00
February 3, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Buddy Holly. This beautifully framed and matted presentation honors Buddy with a 24KT gold plated record, Not Fade Away, mounted onto a gorgeous composite photo specially created for this piece. Limited to an edition of only 1959, this amazing framed tribute will thrill Buddy Holly fans. Framed dimensions: 20 x 26 inches.

Personalized Gifts - Best Buddies Adult Icon T-shirt

Embroidered with any two icons, any two names up to 10 characters, and any title up to 12 characters! Our best buddies shirt will show everyone who their best pal is. Cotton/poly blend T-shirt is machine wash/dry. Please allow 7-10 days for production of this item.